Secret Puzzle
by Tiryn
Summary: My father gave me the most beautiful golden puzzle, but it cost him life. I don't know how, but I know it did. And I solved it anyways, wanting to solve the mystery, wanting happiness, but it took me somewhere I vaguely recognized. My father gave me this puzzle for a reason; I'm going to find out why. (lots of yaoi - later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

_**I can't believe I'm doing this... So, this is actually an old idea that I had for Yu-Gi-Oh, but this version is revamped and isn't as OC-Centric, which is the problem I had in bringing it up...**_

_***slams head on nearby table* I have too many muses to deal with...**_

_**Do not own anything that is familiar to Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

_**WARNING: WILL CONTAIN ABUSE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, AND IMPLIED RAPE! I AM SO SORRY FOR THOSE THAT ARE SENSITIVE TO THESE SUBJECTS! WARNING!**_

* * *

**_Secret Puzzle_**

**_The Most Beautiful Gift_**

It was a stupid mistake.

"Shut up!"

A stupid mistake, a misunderstanding, that's all it ever was.

"You must control yourself!"

That's what my father would tell me, anyways.

"Don't tell me what to do, vile man!"

It's a cycle of something that I hadn't quite understood at the time.

"Your daughter; think of your daughter!"

I was too young then.

"My son is dead because of that beast! That thing is not my daughter!"

Way too young.

"Leave me be! I have no need for you and your whorish dick tonight!"

I tried asking my father why mother was so angry all the time.

"Papa...?"

I didn't ask again after watching him break down into tears that first time.

"It's okay, sweetie, it will heal."

He was my hero, my shield, my sword, my everything.

"Would you like a bedtime story?"

I looked up to him with everything in my heart, sometimes forgetting that I used to have a caring mother.

"Do you promise to be quiet?"

Then it would start again; the yelling, the hitting, the sobbing.

"Yes, Papa."

My father never hit her back, firmly believing that women were not to be struck in any way, shape or form.

"Good girl."

As I grew older, I saw my mother less and less; something I'm shameful to admit that I was happy about.

"When will Mom be home?"

My father taught me the wonders of puzzle, the happiness when you put the last piece in and see what you have created for the rest of the world to see.

"That's my daughter, always solving puzzles!"

He would smile at me and praise me for solving puzzles.

"That's her, isn't it?"

I got so good at it that I entered a small scholarship to earn some money for college.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie; you did real good."

I didn't win first, but my dad was so proud of me that he brought me this puzzle from the attic.

"My great-great-great grandfather solved this once a very long time ago; I want you to have it."

It was a beautiful box; golden and brown, shining and showing off the hieroglyphics that were wrapped around it.

"I know if anyone can solve it again, it would be you."

That gift was the most beautiful and meaningful thing that he ever gave me besides being there for me.

"I love you, Papa."

However, that puzzle cost my father his life; I don't know how, but I knew it deep in my heart that if I didn't solve that puzzle, my own will follow soon after.

"Now we have things to talk about, young lady."

I grew accustomed to the meaning of fear with my mother around now; she was the only one who would take me in with everyone else dead in our families.

"Don't you dare break another rule again!"

The puzzle was what brought me joy and happiness again and again, no matter how frustrated I got when I couldn't put in a piece night after night.

"Be careful, pretty girl, or you'll be joining your whore of a father in the grave."

It was almost found by her clients a few times, but I got away with it; it seemed like the puzzle didn't want to be found either.

"Don't break her, you hear me, I need that thing for money!"

I was so close to solving it that I nearly grew careless; my mother almost found it.

"What is this, money, doing in your room?"

I grew so adept at lying that they were all I believed in for a while.

"It is only a project for a scholarship, mother."

I didn't solve it for a week afterwards, trying to be extremely careful in bringing it out.

"Here's the little whore; have your fun and leave the money on the bed."

However, I grew so restless, that I said screw it and decided to solve it right after my... usual, night.

"Just one more piece; come on, you can do it."

In a way, the golden puzzle - for it could be nothing else but gold it was so beautiful and heavy - took away all my worries and thoughts and fears.

"You're so pretty; I wonder what the history behind you is."

I would whisper to it, acting like it was a real person, one of my few friends that didn't move away or go to college.

"And there we go, the piece fits perfectly!"

I don't know what it was, but that puzzle took my away from my mother, away from that life that I hated oh so much.

"What's going on, where is the whore?!"

It took me back, further and further until I was standing in a place that I wholly unrecognized.

"Where am I?"

It looked like the pictures my father showed me of where his great-great-great grandfather used to live before he died of heartbreak.

"Hey, ya lost or somethin'?"

That's where my story starts; standing in the middle of an old place, being taken in by strangers, and somehow with the puzzle wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet.

"Where am I?"

It's interesting, really.

"Ya really don' know?"

I wished I had the guts to go to my father's grave one more time.

"Please, tell me!"

I wanted to thank him for giving me such a beautiful gift.

"Well, come on, follow me, and I'll introduce ya to my friends while I tell ya where ya are."

And for giving me a second chance at true life.

"Thank you so much, Mr...?"

I should probably thank the puzzle, actually, since it has all this power to do whatever it did.

"It's Jounouchi, no mistah about it!"

Or maybe it's all a hallucination, made to make me go insane.

"Thank you, Jounouchi; my name is Kaliyah."

I don't care anymore; it made me happy.

* * *

_**End**_

_**Okay then... Wow, this is turning into something OTHER than I thought it would 0.o However, I am liking it so far :D Hopefully, you guys will too.**_

_**So, this is, officially, my first M - rated fiction. I rated it Mature because there are going to be scenes of abuse and implied rape. I am so sorry to everyone that has read my other stories; this one will be more sad and twisted than normal. I am very reluctant to write this, but it has intrigued me, so I'll be continuing this story. There will be warnings before each and every chapter (even if it's a happy, fluffy chapter) and before each section containing such implications so you may skip over it if it makes you feel queasy. **_

_**Well, with that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this story of mine!**_

_**Pairings:**_

**_SetoXJounouchi, AtemXYugiXYami (this will be the one I'm focusing on), MarikXMalik, BakuraXRyou, HondaXOtogi_**

**_...This is going to be a lot of work..._**


	2. We're All Like Dominos

**_Holy Ra... I can't believe how many of you actually like this story :D I am going to continue, so don't worry about it :) Sadly, I'm going to be putting the other stories on hold until I can get this story to at least chapter 5 - three if I'm feeling like I'm being way too damn slow. However, I will be working on the other stories in the meantime, so they will be updated as quickly as possible :)_**

**_For the pairings: I've decided to put this story into arcs; the pairings will be arcs, if that makes any sense. So, while Kaliyah is trying to get Mobiumshipping to happen throughout the entire story, there will be mini-arcs where she tries to help the other characters get together. Let me know what you think of this please :)_**

**_Alright then, onto warnings and such:_**

**_I do not own anything that is familiar to Yu-Gi-Oh; those rights belong to their respective owners._**

**_WARNING: WILL CONTAIN ABUSE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, AND IMPLIED RAPE: WARNING_**

* * *

**_Secret Puzzle_**

**_Chapter 2_**

**_We're All Like Dominos_**

She looked around, looking more like a scared rabbit than anything else. The young woman clung close to Jounouchi Katsuya, simply because he had offered his help. Besides, he was just a sucker for those huge, scared eyes. That, and he didn't really like how some of the guys around here were staring at her. She reminded him of Serenity, this Kaliyah.

That image almost made him cringe, but he hid it by speaking to Kaliyah, telling her about Domino.

"That... sounds familiar." She whispered, fiddling with a shiny bracelet. Something about it was distinctly familiar to the blonde Japanese man, but he decided to ignore it.

"So ya can't remember where ya were before ya showed up here?"

"I was home and solving a puzzle my father gave to me a long time ago..." Kaliyah smiled fondly, her hand brushing against a golden eye on a familiar triangular shape. "I don't know what happened or how I got here after I solved it." Her smile quickly faded, fear flashing through her eyes even though her face did not twitch a bit at her supposed fear.

Jounouchi's lips twitched down, but he was quick to hide it with a smile when they finally came across their eating place; Burger World! "Here, my friends are here and maybe they can help." He actually knew they could definitely help her, but he didn't want to raise her hopes up too much.

That would be a bit rude.

If it was possible, Kaliyah glued herself even more to Jounouchi's side, glancing around with wide scared eyes. They kind of reminded him of a doe now, but he shook it off as he spotted his friends sitting at a table waiting for him. "Here, this way." She sent a small, grateful smile his way as she followed, wringing a couple of golden bangs in her hand.

"Hey Jounouchi, who's this?" A tanned male with brown hair pointed strangely looked quizzically with brown eyes at the hiding girl. Jounouchi smiled at his friend and laid a comforting hand on Kaliyah's shoulder. "This is Kaliyah. Kaliyah, this is one of my best friends, Honda!"

She only nodded to him, her eyes softening just a bit. "Well, come on Jounouchi, don't forget the rest of us!" The (strangely familiar, now that the blonde thought about it) pale amethyst eyes tinged in crimson glanced at the rest of the table, trying to take in everyone that was now staring directly at her.

"Right right, calm down!" And so Jounouchi introduced his charge to the rest of his friends, showing her that they really weren't bad people.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kaliyah!" Yugi, the ever so welcoming one out of the group, smiled at Kaliyah. Kaliyah couldn't help but smile shyly back, thinking of her father for a very brief moment. "Come, why don't you sit with us? You look lost."

The young woman adjusted her beanie, making sure only her golden strands were showing before she was squeezed in between Jounouchi and Yugi. Kaliyah didn't feel threatened as she was squeezed in between two males; she felt... safe. "To be truthful," she replied, hands laying leisurely in her lap, "I am quite lost." Kaliyah looked around, taking in the laughter and some of the (in her mind) vintage surroundings.

"I don't know where I am, nor do I know how I got here." She quietly said, squirming. There were so many eyes on her, looking at her... A quick glance up confirmed her suspicion of the table being full of males. Only males.

Still, her feeling of being safe overrode her instinct of bolting. Maybe they could help her?

A deep, rumbling voice spoke next. "I am very sorry for your loss." Kaliyah turned to the Egyptian male next to Yugi. He was introduced as Atem, and she was once again reminded of her sweet father, only Atem's face was more angular and had that touch of sadness around it. She smiled in response. "It is alright; I will find my way home somehow."

_'Mother would not be happy...' _She thought, suppressing the shudder that ran through her at the thought of her mother somehow showing up wherever Kaliyah happened to be.

"Maybe we can help you." A voice similar to Yugi and Atem's brought her from her thoughts. Next to Atem was a pale young man that looked quite a bit like Yugi, only he had crimson eyes and some of his blonde bangs shot up into his star-shaped hair. Why did these three men remind her so much of her father? Only time would tell her why.

"It will not be that hard, I assure you." A soft spoken voice piped up in response to what Yami had said. Next to a pale young male that looked exactly like the speaker except for one or two differences was Ryou Bakura. He looked sickly, but he only smiled at her kindly, looking to be willing to help. The other boy, Bakura Ryou (Kaliyah started to think that most of them were somehow related to one another), only looked at her with an assessing eye.

Did she look like a threat?

"I do not know where I am." Kaliyah replied, touching the leather behind her in amazement. It was so... red, so shiny yet worn! Was this what it looked like in that cafe down the street from where she used to live? "Of course, you have told me it is called Domino, but I have never heard of such a place."

"Not many have, unless you're living in this country or know the King of Games." Another Egyptian boy, this one she knew to be called Malik, spoke to her next to what could have been his own twin named Marik. Maybe they were twins?

Kaliyah perked up at the name. "I know the title King of Games." Her eyes shined in happiness at something familiar. "I have never met the King in person, but I would like to one day."

Straight across from Jounouchi was Kaiba Seto, who was not working on the laptop for once. He snapped his eyes up at her and smirked. "What do you know of the King of Games, Kaliyah?"

She tilted her head and thought really hard. "My father told me few things about the King." She sighed in sadness. "The only thing that I definitely remember is that he died a long time ago according to my father." Kaliyah looked up at the ceiling, missing the startled and suspicious glances that were thrown her way. Yugi had gone pale and was holding onto Atem for support.

"He was replaced by his children - I can't remember his name, sadly - and the title was passed onto each of his children. Father said he personally knew the King of Games before he... Well, he used to know him, but wouldn't tell me anything else beyond that." Kaliyah tugged on her bangs again, a flash of gold catching Yami's attention.

Trying to get the conversation away from something that could not be possible (and that was saying something, considering who he was), he nodded his head to what he thought was a familiar eye before asking her what was on her wrist.

Kaliyah looked down at the bracelet and frowned. "This is the puzzle that my father gave me, but..." She glanced up and looked away. Kaliyah did not know if they would believe her or not, but they were still listening and giving her a chance, so she went for it. "It wasn't like this when I solved it. It was in the shape of an upside down pyramid, like the one you are wearing, Yugi." The aforementioned male blinked and looked down at the Millenium Item that always hung around his neck. "Actually, they looked exactly alike."

Her eyes narrowed at the object before she turned away and dismissed it. There should be more puzzles like the one she received, after all.

"When I won third place at a puzzle competition, Father brought this golden box down from the attic and gave it to me, telling me that his great-great-great grandfather once solved it and was hoping I could do so as well." Kaliyah's eyes dimmed at the thought of the pretty box. Her mother was probably selling it off to Kami knows her and Kaliyah didn't want to say goodbye to a precious gift and memory. "I solved it, but then my surroundings were changed and I was standing at that corner where Jounouchi found me. The puzzle was around my wrist." She then looked around at all of the faces aimed towards her. They looked shocked and slightly afraid.

She sighed. "I am sorry if that does not sound believable, but that is what happened." The silence was heavy around the group. Seto glanced around and then looked at Kaliyah again. "What is your full name?"

She blinked at the strange question. "Kaliyah is my full name. Isn't there a rule of no last names around here? The government issued such a rule years ago, you must have remembered it."

Yugi did not know what it was, but he felt that this girl did not know where she was - time period wise.

* * *

_**End**_

_**Wow, okay, did not mean to reveal that much, but Kaliyah kind of ran away with the story gleefully. So, yeah, make of that what you will xD**_

_**Okay, most of the stories will be on hold once I post this - Loving Sands is probably the only other one that I'm going to continue updating as I go for chapter three on this story. I decided that chapter five will take too long, so I'll start updating everything else starting after chapter three is put up.**_

_**Anyways, replies:**_

_**yu-gi-ohlove3 - thank you for the review and compliment :3 That will be explained in later chapters, but no, I have decided that she is not Yugi. Thank you for asking and I hope you review again :)**_

_**cd - Yes, yes it does xD Thank you for the review and I hope you do so again soon :3**_

_**Thank you to **_Hikari lover, NightsxTsuna, yu-gi-ohlove3  
**_For favoriting and thank you to _**  
Neph Champion, WhiteNaomi, bluecandy145, eltigre221, yu-gi-oh-love3  
_**for alerting this story**_  


_**Hope to see more reviews/favorites/alerts :D Thank you guys for liking this story and giving it a chance~**_

_**~Tiryn~**_


	3. A Learning Experience

_**EDIT: THANK YOU TO MIMI BABY LOVE FOR POINTING OUT TO ME THAT I ACTUALLY DIDN'T UPDATE THIS CHAPTER - I INSTEAD USED ANOTHER CHAPTER THAT WASN'T EVEN FINISHED! THANK YOU, SWEET ONE! EDIT!**_

_**Hello, one and all :D**_

_**So yeah, an interesting last chapter xD Don't worry I have a bit more planned out for you all :)**_

_**Hope you all enjoy this one~!**_

_**Disclaimer: Do not own anything that rightfully belongs to Yu-Gi-Oh**_

_**WARNING: WILL CONTAIN ABUSE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, AND IMPLIED RAPE: WARNING**_

* * *

_**Secret Puzzle  
**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**A Learning Experience**_

She was fascinated by everything she saw. It was like looking into a 3D holographic image of the past, everything so shiny and vibrant, full of life. Kaliyah was surprised each time she touched a piece of a building and her hand simply didn't phase through.

To everyone else in the group, it was fascinating how the young woman reacted to everything and asked questions about things that were seemingly normal (Jounouchi nearly had a heart attack when she asked what ice cream was. This prompted a whole hour of the blonde talking about the most amazing food there was that he had tried... which was confusing for the poor woman.) to everyone else.

It didn't help that Yugi couldn't really look her in the eye after the talk that happened in the restaurant. He was the King of Games, and he was dead in whatever place Kaliyah was from? That did not sit well with him, nor his two other counterparts. They kept a steady hand on either one of his shoulders as they walked through the city, avoiding alleyways and areas where they could essentially be attacked (be either fans or rivals, one couldn't tell). Despite Yami's and Atem's insistence at going up to Kaliyah to get a perfectly good explanation, Yugi refused to do so.

There was something about the bright happy smile on her face that warmed up some small part of his soul. He didn't want to ruin it for an interrogation, so he left it be. Right now, he needed to just come to terms with the fact that her father (may his soul rest in peace) knew the King of Games.

"Yugi." The young man looked up to Seto (silently cursing his shortness all the while) and smiled, waiting for whatever the CEO had to say. "From what I have gathered so far, it seems that Kaliyah may be related to you." They spoke in hushed tones, off in the back of the group. Bakura was currently trying to scare Kaliyah (it was working, the girl was terrified of the expression on his face), while Ryou was sneaking up behind his dark side with a murderous expression on his own, so they didn't have to worry about being overheard for the moment.

"What makes you say that, Priest?" Atem never really got out of the habit of calling his now-friends what he remembered them as (Priest, Tomb Robber, Guardian), but it was more like a nick-name now, just something that was there.

Seto shrugged. "It is only a speculation so far, but signs such as her eye color, stature, and the clues of her father's awareness of who the King of Games is are my only clues." They both turned to watch the strange girl. "My suspicions would be confirmed once I see her hair." Atem sent Seto a dead-pan look, but he knew what he was talking about. It wasn't like there was someone in every country with star-shaped hair as unique as theirs.

Then again, the odds were in their favor that the chance was high...

However, it was not their place at that moment. She was happy and curious. However, most of the time, her curiosity confused everyone. Things that were common and every day things were new and shiny to her. Kaliyah laughed at the scolding that Bakura was receiving from Ryou, her face brightening up in a way that was disturbingly similar to Yugi's in its innocent delight.

Jounouchi draped an arm across her shoulders, pointing out to her any and all restaurants and food joints that were near by, while Honda and Duke scolded Jounouchi for ignoring the historical and other more 'beautiful' sites of Domino City. She still looked at everything, fascinated, intrigued and delighted to be lost. Malik and Marik teased Bakura as he was scolded by his Hikari, earning more laughter and teasing to be awarded in the group.

"We might want to find out as soon as possible." Seto muttered, eyes glued to Jounouchi as he was laughed at and teased, simultaneously teasing the girl in his protective embrace. "I do not know how Anzu will react to this."

Both Atemu and Yami grimaced at this line of thought, knowing true and well how possessive the young Japanese woman in question was, especially when it came to other females in the group. The only reason that she was not with them today was she had an important dance recital and then had to work at one of her two jobs. Yugi looked confused, but Yami and Atemu decided not to enlighten their Hikari about Anzu's jealous streak.

It was getting dark now. The group decided to rest at a nearby empty park, gorging themselves on some ice cream and laughing about some of their more mundane adventures they kept telling Kaliyah. They watched as the sun set over the trees and the tall buildings of Domino.

Yugi stood up and yawned, done with his own ice cream before his other friends. "Well, Grandpa might be worried about where we are, so we have to head home. It was nice meeting you, Kaliyah!" The young woman smiled and exchanged greetings with the small one while Atemu and Yami threw away their own trash.

Kaliyah watched them a little bit, then turned to the rest of her new found friends, seeing them say that they also had to go back home.

She stayed on her seat, her thoughts coming up onto a new problem.

What was she to do for the night?

These were the only ones she knew, and not even that well - how was she to ask for lodging and food for the night?

"Hey." She looked up and smiled, Seto standing before her with a hard look on his face. "I have enough room, so you'll be coming with me." Jounouchi breathed a sigh of relief - at least he knew she would be safe, since there was no way she was coming home with him.

He didn't want his father knowing about her at all.

"Thank you, Seto." He nodded and turned, his coat flaring dramatically. Seto glared at Marik and Malik, silently communicating that it was time to go. The Egyptian boys grumbled, but complied, knowing that they would just be thrown out into the cold with any arguments initiated.

They had personal experience with that.

"Don't worry, kid, we'll see ya tomorrow." Jounouchi watched as Kaliyah visibly relaxed, her familiar eyes softening. "Have a good night, okay?"

"Of course, Jounouchi. Be safe, please." The blonde laughed as he walked off into the night, soon getting jumped by Honda, Duke laughing all the while as the two best friends fought over little trivial things with bright smiles on their faces.

"I have to head home - mother will be worried." Bakura snorted at Ryou's words, but followed his Hikari none-the-less.

"Come, we have to leave immediately." The other three followed after Seto, one grumbling something about a stick and getting it out, but Kaliyah didn't hear what was said clearly, so paid no mind to it. When they stepped around the trees that blocked most of the view of the street, a limousine was there waiting for them.

The chauffeur bowed and opened the door for them, brown eyes glancing curiously at the young woman that followed after his master and his two guests. "Akito, call Atsushi and get him to arrange a room for Miss Kaliyah here a room in the East Wing."

"Yes, sir." He closed the door behind the last passenger and got in the front seat, already contacting Atsushi with his specialized headset and heading towards the Kaiba Mansion.

Along the way, Kaliyah questioned Malik and Marik about themselves, and was more than fascinated with Egypt and all of its customs. Seto ignored them and opened up his laptop, working on some last minute adjustments to some gaming ideas and to decide which game or ride needs to be placed or taken out of the Kaiba Amusement Park.

* * *

Kaliyah 'aw'ed and 'oh'ed at the entire mansion, only seeing establishments such as this in the higher planes of her own society. Everything was polished and everyone treated her respectively, not just some kid who got famous over some puzzles and doesn't know what she's doing.

It was a nice change, and she could breath knowing her mother wasn't around.

A shiver ran down the young woman's spine, a malicious whisper caressing the back of her mind before it disappeared. Her unique eyes turned a worried gaze behind her, but found nothing but an empty hallway.

"Here you are, miss. Please, enjoy your stay." Before even looking into the room, Kaliyah turned to the woman who led her to her room and smiled, thanking her for taking the time to lead her to the room. The maid smiled in return and replied, "of course, madam. The Ishtars are down the hall if you need anything from them. Ring the bell if you wish for any one of the staff to assist you." Kaliyah nodded along, and watched as the woman closed the door behind her.

She turned and was amazed.

The room was obviously themed after water. The walls were varied in shades of blue, the ceiling painted the palest blue and white possible to imitate the waves shined upon by the sun. The wood was a dark mahogany, lamps strategically placed around the room making it seem lighter than it really was. There was a fireplace right across from the huge bed, which was dressed in greens and draped with a sheer black curtain to provide privacy. There was one way draped with double thick dark blue curtains, shimmering into purple and black when Kaliyah moved them aside to show a floor-to-ceiling window that gave her the perfect view of a crescent moon riding high into the darkened sky, surrounded by the twinkling eyes of stars and planets so far away from their own.

Kaliyah stood there, gazing at the moon, the crackling of a lit fire and a slight breeze outside becoming white noise as she kept her eyes on the moon. Looking around, she pulled the hat off of her head and sighed, seeing her reflection stare back at her accusingly.

She didn't hate herself, not really. Kaliyah hated the circumstances that always seemed to follow her around, how it took something so beautiful and golden and turned it into a dark mass of hate and fear.

That's what she tried to convince herself, anyways.

Her hand reached out and touched the reflection, tracing the strange pattern of her hair. Eyes glanced up to meet their own and stopped.

Father always told her that she was beautiful, his lovely little princess of puzzles. He would run a hand through her hair (it always twitched, as if he was seeing someone before realizing it was her - she caught on, but never said anything, as it was too painful to talk about it even then), smiling and laughing as she told him about her day or about another puzzle she discovered.

His eyes, tinged in more red than her own, would always light up at seeing her, telling her that she was beautiful every day, no matter how many times he saw her in the mirror, glaring at her reflection, seeing someone that she did not like staring back at her.

In all reality, Kaliyah hated herself. She hated how she looked more and more like her mother as she grew up. She hated how she lost her father and then became a whore at the beck and call of her mother. She hated how she got out of a bad situation and potentially landed in another that could end so horribly...

Her hand twitched the curtain closed, turning her back on the stars and the moon and the night and the many secrets it held so close to its quiet heart.

The fire was warm, it's cackling noise coming back full force now. Kaliyah put her hat on the nightstand, changing into the nightgown that was laid out for her. Her eyes glanced away from the healing bruises and cuts on her body, focusing on just trying to get comfortable.

The thought crossed her mind that, maybe, she should leave the door cracked, so the next customer can waltz in and take what they believe is theirs. She stepped back from the door when Kaliyah realized that her hand is on the knob, holding it close to her heart as her body trembled.

She didn't really sleep that night, jolting awake every few minutes to glance at the door, wrapped in the protective embrace of the warm dark green blanket that was on the soft bed.

She didn't really sleep that night, because the nightmares were just waiting to make her scream.

* * *

**_Wow... I've turned angsty. Well, shit 0.o Honestly, this would've been out sooner (go on my profile for more info), but I was dealing with college, so... Yeah xP_**

**_So, this is the first thing I've updated since I have gotten back into writing, and I can't wait to see what you all think of it :D_**

**_Reviews:_**

**_yu-gi-ohlove3 - Yeah, they're scared of her, reasonably so. For that second part - you'll find out in the next chapter :3 Thank you!_**

**_ChangeOfHe4rt - I could probably use more imagery for that. Yeah, the shock factor is something I'm hoping to be able to use more effectively in the future. For that second part - you'll find out in the next chapter :3 Thank you so much!_**

**_Thank you guys for the reviews, favorites, follows, and general loyalty in waiting for this to update!_**

**_This is also officially on AO3, so if you want to look for it there, you can, and I also would like for you guys to follow me if you could :D_**

**_The next chapter will be up next month - I'm going to try a monthly update for this story. If I can't stick with that, I'll figure something out. Hopefully, it'll be out sooner, but we'll see :)_**


	4. Luxury Compared to What?

_**Okay, so it was highly embarrassing for me to see that I uploaded the wrong chapter... Ugh... Kill me -~- Anyways! I had ideas come to me in droves... and you're all going to hate me :D Ugh, it's going to be so fabulous~!**_

_**Anyways, here's the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it :D**_

**_!WARNING! WILL CONTAIN ABUSE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, AND IMPLIED RAPE !WARNING!_**

* * *

_**Secret Puzzle**_

_**4\. Luxury Compared to What?**_

The maids were whispering to each other the next morning when Seto was awakened from his sleep. Contrary to popular belief, he did actually have a bedroom with a very comfortable and used it every day. His brother didn't want him to collapse on his work desk, so it was agreed, along with some other conditions, that Seto would use the bed so long as Mokuba would finally learn something about the business, whether it be finances or technology or whatever his brother decided to deal with.

"Sire?" He glanced up, irritated at being interrupted at least thirty minutes before he was absolutely required to go get breakfast (which would be about an hour late for him, unless it was some high-end business that needed to be conducted at the breakfast table, then he was on time). "Does Mutou-Sama have a younger sister?" He sat up and glared, awaiting more information. The maid was jumpy, but pushed through none-the-less.

"This morning, one of the maids went to wake her for breakfast and thought she was Mutou-Sama. She nearly had a heart attack finding out the guest, Kaliyah-Sama, was a female." She blushed and bowed (all three maids did, actually), embarrassment coloring her features. "We're very sorry for the mistake, Kaiba-Sama, it will not happen again."

Seto was silent for a moment. "Why did you confuse Kaliyah with Yugi?"

The maid blinked. "Well, her hair was exactly like the shape of Mutou-Sama's. We thought it was the exact color as well, but it was a brown and the tips were a shocking white." He dismissed all three, and they scurried out, his outfit for the day already laid out in his chair and the entirely-too-warm fire put out. The sun was peaking through his curtains and he could hear the traffic going back and forth along the roads beneath, whether it be pedestrians, bikes, or the occasional car.

"That confirms my suspicions, then." He muttered to himself, stepping out of the room wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt. He opted to leave his coat behind for now, since he did not plan to go anywhere today. Actually, if tradition held up, then the entire geek squad should be heading over in a few hours. Seto sighed, not quite ready for the chaos but gearing up for it anyways. Maybe he would finally beat Yugi in a bloody battle today...

"Brother!" Makuba's enthusiastic voice greeted his older brother as Seto walked into the dining room. Cynical eyes glanced around to see if everyone was already up and eating. He nodded, seeing the Egyptian twins making jokes for Kaliyah's amusement, who was fascinated by the jellies and breads that lined the table. Makuba grinned as Seto sat down, who sent a small smile his way.

His brother could always make him smile.

"You are early, today!" Long black hair swayed slightly as Seto's brother's eyes squinted at him suspiciously. "Is there something special going on today?" Seto shook his head and grabbed a warm croissant, a glass of milk and toast already set in his place. "I just wanted to get up early, brother, I promise." Mokuba looked at him a bit, then took him at his word, smiling widely then suddenly frowning.

"You didn't tell me we had a new guest!" Seto could fault himself on that one for sure. "I know you got back late, but tell me next time we have someone else staying over!" Seto smiled once more at the lecture his brother gave him.

"Mokuba, is there anything wrong?" The Kaiba's turned to Kaliyah, who was looking at them worriedly. She then blinked and smiled. "Ah, good morning Seto. Did you sleep well?" Seto was a little astonished at the formal tone, but tossed it off. He didn't know her very well, after all. He nodded his head as answer. Her smile brightened a bit, but her eyes betrayed how tired she truly was.

It didn't seem like she got very much sleep, but it's very understandable - she was in a strange place and probably scared out of her wits. Of course, the hat stayed on her bloody head, so Seto didn't know if what the maid told him was true. Then again, not a single one of his employees and staff would lie to him in fear of his wrath. Doesn't matter if he mellowed out or not, of course, but what's done is done.

Malik and Marik stole her attention again when they started 'painting' each other's hair with brightly colored jelly. Seto was glad that Mokuba also enjoyed the two's antics, since he was laughing along with Kaliyah and getting along with her. They seemed to be about the same age, so it was good for Mokuba to interact with her. His younger brother, after about fifteen minutes of this, Mokuba stood up and announced that he was going to spend the day with one of his friends.

Seto, after getting the necessary information (names, address, phone numbers, and how long his precious brother was going to be there), let his brother go his way, sending a couple of his butlers to follow him and make sure he got there safely.

"Hey, Priest." Marik called out to him using that bloody nickname, but Seto endured it, only sending a scathing glare his way. "We doing anything today or is everybody headed here?"

Malik answered for him. "The other's already texted me and said they'll be here around lunch time." Seto nodded his head and went back to eating, though he only ate the croissant and half a glass of milk before deeming himself full. "Kaliyah, have you seen the rest of the mansion?" The young woman shook her head at Malik's question. Marik grinned, his creepiness coming in a bit.

"Time for a tour!" Her eyes slid over to Seto, who paid no mind to the situation. "Don't break anything."

"We won't! Damn priest, loosen up a bit." Seto bit out an insult to the retreating backs of the trio, deep laughter echoing down the halls. Seto sighed. "One of you follow them and clean up whatever mess they make." He didn't look up to see who obeyed him, though he heard several footfalls go in the general direction, so he figured it would be taken care of. Looking at his watch, Seto determined that he had about five hours to get some sort of work done before chaos rained down in his home.

He headed towards the duel room and decided that the holograms needed a bit more work before it was safe to show to the public.

* * *

"Sirs, Madam." Malik, Marik, and Kaliyah turned to see one of the many butlers that were following them bowing to them. "More guests have arrived if you wish to join them."

"Thank you." Kaliyah said, sending a kind smile to the old man, before turning back to the fascinating room before her. "Will you please lead them here? I do not want to get lost again."

"Of course, Kaliyah-Sama." Before she could say that she didn't want any kind of formality attached to her name, the butler was gone and the three were left alone.

"Did you enjoy the tour?" Kaliyah giggled. "I did, thank Malik, Marik, though I believe that I will get lost long before I finally memorize this please." She turned back to the room once again, lights glancing off of hundreds of golden cards designed with beautiful artwork, names settled next to little stars that shined even brighter among the faded brown. "You said these were all part of a card game?"

Malik and Marik jumped right back into explaining the logistics of the game, how the monsters were categorized and how Yugi was an absolute beast at this game. "Duel Monsters is used to determine who the King of Games is each year." Kaliyah turned, interested in who it was this year. They skipped over who the King of Games was and barreled on with their explanation.

"Each opponent starts with seven cards in hand and take turns attacking each other through strategies concocted based on the deck." Kaliyah paid close attention to this. She was a puzzle solver, yes, but she was never good enough to get close to the people who played the card games higher up in the society. She didn't know if this card game and the one back home was the same, but it was nice to learn about it none-the-less.

"There you are!" Kaliyah turned and was immediately tackled into a hug by an enthusiastic blonde. She hugged him back and was eventually given the space to see her friends from yesterday all smiling and chatting with each other and giving their own greetings to her. Seto walked in and scanned the room, relaxing just a bit to see that Anzu was not there.

That girl riled him up, and not in a good way at all.

"Seto, is this entire collection yours?" Seto nodded to Kaliyah, who brightened up and looked very excited to be there. Her dark circles did not disappear, but they seemed to matter less the more she smiled. It was strange to see such a thing, but it was there.

She was also a very strange thing.

"Don't touch anything." He said, his normal icy tone coloring his words. She seemed to take no notice as she bound off with Jounouchi trailing behind her, pointing out his favorites and Honda telling her about all of his failures in his own battles. Malik and Marik still butted in with telling her about the general game play, but were content to mess with Bakura, while Ryou watched from the sidelines.

Seto pulled aside the King of Games and his two shadows. "What is it? Is something wrong?" As always, Yugi was worried that something was wrong, but his face hoped for the best situation that there could be.

"Nothing is wrong, though I think I was correct in my hypothesis." All three of them perked up immediately. "According to one of my maids, Kaliyah does have the same star-shaped hair. However, it is not black, but brown."

"Have you seen it for yourself?" Yami asked, scanning over Kaliyah with new eyes, trying to see how she could be related to the Mutous in any way. Seto shook his head, prompting Atem to groan. "The best we can do, then, is ask to see her hair or wait for her to show us."

It was quickly decided that the first option would be much quicker. If she said no, then there wasn't much they could do about it other than wait for the hat to conveniently fall off (Atem suggest that Bakura would be the best candidate for that) or for her to show them willingly. They decided to do it later, when they knew her better than they currently do.

* * *

Kaliyah could honestly say she hasn't had this much fun since solving puzzles. She could compare the feelings of warmth and happiness to the feeling of accomplishment that came with a completed puzzle. Her hands twitched at the thought of puzzles, but she pushed the thought away.

She didn't know what the puzzles were like here. They could be more simple, or maybe more complex. Kaliyah just wanted to get a hold of a puzzle now.

"What are the puzzles like?"

"Depends on who you talk to." Ryou said, stepping up to answer while the others were pretty occupied with messing with each other (and trying to avoid the walls of cards that lined the entire room). "There are simple ones, complex ones, some are based on numbers and others are based on words." He shrugged, but was surprised to see a thoughtful look cross Kaliyah's expression. "Do you know where I can get such puzzles?"

"My grandfather runs a game shop - I'm sure that we can find something that you can enjoy." They both turned to see Yugi skipping up to them with a smile on his face. Kaliyah thanked him, then asked him questions about his grandfather and the game shop they ran.

After watching them converse for a few minutes, a butler stepped into the room and announced that lunch was ready in the game room. Kaliyah was excited and led the pack, but as she passed Atem and Yami, they saw something that slightly disturbed them.

A shadow was clinging onto her back. It vaguely resembled a person, with claws digging into Kaliyah's shoulders and a head situated over one shoulder. The head twisted one hundred-eighty degrees and gave the two a wide, creepy smile before seeming to disappear when Kaliyah stepped into some sunlight in the hallway. Atem and Yami gave each other looks, trying to see if they were hallucinating.

"Hey, did you see that?" Jounouchi muttered, eyes glued onto the back of Kaliyah. Yugi seemed to not notice because he was following behind her with a smile and not a care in the world. The group looked at each other, worry clear on their faces.

The blonde hesitated in saying what was on his mind. "Do you think she's dangerous?"

Seto replied with, "She's from the future, who knows what information she carries."

Ryou laughed at some joke Yugi said, then explained it to Kaliyah who was highly confused at the humor that happened in front of her.

"Let's hope she doesn't need a trip to the Dark Realm."

Bakura snorted at Malik's words. "From our interactions so far, she's just a confused kid. The only danger she presents is ignorance, and that can be fixed easily." Atem gave him a look for what just spewed out of the thief's mouth, in which Bakura returned it with his own dark glare. Seto shrugged and continued walking, deeming the conversation useless at this point.

"We have to find out what information she can provide before we deem her as a threat or not." Yami said, a hand on his chin in thought. "We can make more choices afterwards."

"Guys, hurry up! I'm starving!"

"Jounouchi, you're always starving!"

"Don't have to state the obvious, Honda."

"Guys, calm down!"

* * *

**_A bit of a filler chapter. I know I promised you guys that you would find out if she's related to the Mutou's or not, but it's kind of obvious now, huh? JK xD Anyways, you'll figure it out sooner or later :)_**

**_Reviews:_**

_Mimi Baby Love: **Okay, first, thank you for pointing out my mistake last chapter. Second, love the theories! You'll find out soon enough ;) I'm glad you enjoy and can't wait to see if you'll love this one xD**_

_**Thanks you guys for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'll update this story next month, so see ya then :D**_

_**~Tiryn~**_


	5. A Look Into the Past

Hello once again :D Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, so here is this one :)

Do not own anything familiar

_**!WARNING! WILL CONTAIN ABUSE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, AND IMPLIED RAPE !WARNING!**_

* * *

**_Secret Puzzle_**

**_5\. A Look into the Past_**

"Look at you." The woman sneered, glaring at the inanimate object in front of her. The slab of holographic stone simply hovered there in silence, the words 'engraved' not giving a hint of what the woman was doing. A low growl escaped her throat.

A martini glass shattered against a far off wall, the hologram only fizzing out for a quick second before coming back up.

"You're dead, probably fucking your others in the afterlife, and your whore of a daughter is lost in oblivion!" She giggled manically. Her fingers grasped another glass full of alcohol and took a hearty sip. "And I went through all of that trouble just to marry you. Hmph." She swept back her long brown hair, eyes glittering with malice.

"I doubt you remember anyways. The years have been so... great to me, though not to you."

A voice flicked on over head. "Visiting hours are over. Please exit the facility and continue with your day." The intercom shut off. The woman scoffed, but stood up, collecting her one glass. She knew that the help would clean up the shards anyway.

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself." She spat at the hologram then walked away, her glare and sardonic smile keeping people out of her way. Once she stepped outside, two men (both very beautiful, both very emotionless) walked behind her, paying no attention to her swaying hips and short dress, or to her voluptuous rack that was pushed up even more by a push up bra.

Back in the covered graveyard, lights flicked off until a row of lights were the only brightness remaining. Following the stray drops of wine, they led to a holographic plaque with glass behind it.

'King of Games' it said, no picture to accompany it. They didn't do pictures anymore - some riot happened over the resources used some years ago and they were no longer used in government functions or even publicly.

Underneath that plaque, a floating headstone flickered back and forth.

'Yami Atem Mutou'  
Birth: Unknown  
Death: MIA

May the King of Games rest, his title passed onto his pride and joy  
Kaliyah Mutou

* * *

_**I'm so sorry it's short D: But hey, some of your questions should be answered now :D**_

_**Hope you all enjoyed!**_

_**Please tell me what you thought!**_


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